Advertising display cabinet and toothpick dispenser



May 11-,1926. 1,584,237

R. T. MANNING ADVERTISING DISPLAY CABINET AND TOOTHPICK DISPENSER Filed Feb. 11, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 15 j 4411 0242? Mal wi; aim;

May 11 1926. 1,584,237

R. T. MANNING v ADVERTISING DISPLAY CABINET AND TOOTHPICK DISPENSER Filed Feb. 11, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 11, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUSSELL MANNING, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE AS- SIG-NMENTS, TO IDEAL ADVERTISING CORPORATION, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNE- e SOTA, A CORPORATION OF MINNESOTA.

ADVERTISING DISPLAY CABINET AND TOOTI-IPIOK DISPENSER.

Application filed February My invention has for its object to provide a combined advertising display cabinet and toothpick dispenser and to this end, it consists of the novel devices and combinations 6 of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

- In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings: 1

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the irregular line 3 -3 of Fig. 2

Fig. 1 is a rear view withthe back of the cabinet removed;

Fig. 5 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the cut-off blade and parts associated therewith in segregated relation; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view of the lower portion of the drawer.

The numeral 8 indicates. a rectangular metal cabinet mounted'on a wooden base 9. The front and back of this cabinet 8 are displaceable and have marginal flanges which cap the body of said cabinet and are secured thereto by screws. Within the cabinet 8 near the right-hand side thereof is a partition 10 which extends forward from the back of the cabinet 8'and then obliquely to said righthand wall of said cabinet, and forms within said cabinet a compartment 11 for electric wires and a switch, as will presently appear. Extending from the partition 10 to the lefthand wall of the cabinet 8 is a vertical partition 12 that extends from the top of the cabinet, but terminates considerably above the bottom thereof, and forms in said cabinet a front light compartment 18 and a rear toothpick compartment 1 1.

Formed in the front of the cabinet 8 is a large opening that is closed by a glass panel 15 held in position by retaining lugs 16 and having attached on its back a translucent advertising display sheet 17 and back of this sheet a translucent color sheet 18. Secured to the top of the cabinet 8 within the compartment 13 is a lamp socket 19 in which is mounted a depending electric light bulb 20 11, 1925. Serial No. 8,426.

side walls and the partition 10 is a shaft 21 the right-hand end of which extends outward of the cabinet 8 and is bent laterally and forwardly to aiforda lever 22 by which said shaft may be oscillated. Upper and lower stops 23 on the cabinet limit the movement of the lever 22.

Mounted on the shaft 21 Within the cabinet 14L is a feed roller 24 held for oscillatory movement with the shaft21 by a pair of screws 25 and provided with reduced hublike ends. Formed with'the feed roller 24 are three circumferentially spaced ratchetlike teeth 26 that extend the full length of said roller. A coiledspring 27 anchored to a loop in the back of the roller 24 and to a lug on the-bottom of the cabinet 8 normally holds the feed roller 21 for anti-clockwise .movement, and in this normal position of the roller, its teeth 26 are uppermost, as best shown in Fig. 2. In actual practice, the feed roller 24 is sufliciently close. to the back of the cabinet 8 to prevent the escape of toothpicks between said roller and cabinet.

A cut-off blade 28 is secured by a hinge 29 to the free rear edge of the horizontal flange of an angle bar 30, the vertical flange of which extends downward and is rigidly secured to the partition 12. This cut-off blade 28 extends obliquely above the hinge 29 and substantially radially in respect to the axis of the shaft 21. The cut-offblade 28 just clears the periphery of the feed roller 24; below its teeth 26 and is curved upwardly and forwardly. A stop finger 31, formed with the rear edge of the cut-off blade 28, normally engages the vertical flange of the angle bar 30 as a stop to limit the movement of said cut-off bladetoward the feed roller 24. A coil spring 32, encircling the pivot pin of the hinge 29, has one of its ends reacting against the cut-oflf blade 28 and its other end reacting againstthe angle bar '30, and is under strain to swing said cut-off blade toward the feed roller 24c and hold the stopjfinger 21 in engagement with-the bar 30. A depending spring blade 33 is secured to the partition 12 with its free lower edge portion extending back of the hinge 29.

A drawer 84; for toothpicks X is inserted into the compartment 14: through an opening in the top of the casing 8 and has a knob by which said drawer maybe operated. The lower end of the drawer 34 is open except for a deflecting flange 36 which extends between the hinge 29 and spring blade 33. During the final movement of the drawer 34 into the compartment 14, the lower end thereof engages the spring blade 33 and places the same under tension so that said drawer is firmly held by said spring blade. To fill the compartment 14 with toothpicks X, the drawer 34 isremoved from the cabinet 8 and filled with toothpicks. The cabinet is then tipped forward into substantially horizontal position and the filled drawer 34 inserted into the compartment 14. lVhen the cabinet 8 is arighted, the toothpicks therein will be supported on the feed roller 24, cut-off blade 28 and deflecting flange 36, as shown in Fig. 2.

A curved apron 37v is inclined downward and. forward from the periphery of the feed rollers 24, below the cut-off blade 28, under the partition 12 and through a discharge 0pening'38 in the front of the cabinet 8 below the glass panel 15. This apron 37 has at its rear corners a pair of wide hooks 39 which interlock with the hub-like ends of the feed roller 24 and support the rear end of said apron therefrom. This apron 37, at its outer edge portion, is curved outwardly and upwardly and has. a relatively wide notch 40 formed therein. The material cut from the apron 37 in forming the notch 40 is bent vertically downward to afford a lug 41 which bears against the inner face of the front of the cabinet- 8, is secured thereto by a short nut-equipped bolt 42 and holds said apron 37 on the lower edge of the discharge passageway 38.

To eject a toothpick rom the compartment 11, the lever 22, which is normally held raised against the upper stop 23 by the spring 27, is pressed downward and thereby turns the feed roller 24 which causes the first ratchet-like tooth26 to move the toothpick X engaged thereby downward past the cut-off blade 28 and deposit the same on the inclined apron 37 on which said toothpick slides downward through the discharge Opening 38 and is stopped by the upturned outer edge of the apron 37. In thisfposition of an ejected toothpick, the same may be lifted from the apron 37 by taking hold of the same where it extends across the notch 40. During the ejection of a toothpick, the second and third ratchet-like teeth 36 move the engaged toothpicks forward and also act as agitators for the toothpicks. During the movement of a toothpick by the first'tooth 26, the same engages the cut-off blade 28, cams the same upward'away from the feed roll-er 24 against the tension of the spring 32, to make suificientroom for the passage of a toothpick between said feed rolier and cutofi' blade. As soon as the toothpick passes out of engagement with the cut-off blade 28, the coiled spring 32 immediately returns said cut-oft blade tonormal position to prevent the escape of other toothpicks.

The lamp 20 is only lighted to illuminate the advertising display sheet and color sheet during the operation of the lever 22. The electric wires 43 for the lamp 20 extend into the compartment 11 through an opening 44 inthe right side of the cabinet 8. A switch in the compartment 11 is interposed in one of the wires 43 and comprises a pair of depending contact fingers 45 secured to an insulating block 46 by a pair of bolts 47 which afi'ord binding posts for the respec-- tive wire 43.

To close the switch fingers. 45 during the movement of the lever 22 to eject a tooth pick and thereby close the circuit through the electric lamp 20, a hub 49 isse'cured to theshaft 21 by a set screw 50 and has a radial pin 51 of suitable insulating material. This pin 51 normally standsv as shown in Fig. 5, and during the movement of the lever 22 to eject a toothpick, engages the right-hand switch finger 45 and presses the same into engagement Withthe other of said fingers to complete the circuit to the electric lamp 20.

From the above description it is evident that each timeatoothpick is ejected from the cabinet, the electric light bulb 2 0 is lighted and illuminates the advertising display on the back of the glass panel 15. The purpose of the colored sheet on the back of the advertising sheet 17 is to give the advertising display distinct appearance. It is, of course, understood that the advertising display and color sheet may be changed from time to time and the said colorv sheet may be dispensed with entirely.

The term toothpick is herein used in a broad sense to include matches or the like.

What I claim is:.

1-. The combination with a cabinet having a toothpick compartment, of an ejector in said compartment comprising a feed roller having on its periphery a ratchet-like tooth,

yielding means holding the feed roller in normal position, a lever for operating the feed roller, and a yieldingly held cut-off blade normally extending in the path of movement of said'tooth and arranged to be engaged by said tooth, during the rotation of the feed roller to eject a toothpick, and moved out of said path.

2. The combination with a cabinet having a toothpick compartment, of an ejector in said compartment, comprising a feed roller having on its periphery a ratchet-like tooth,

a lever for operatingthe feed roller, 2. yieldingly held cut-off blade normally extending in the path of movement of saidtooth and mounted for swinging movement away from the feed roller, and yielding means normally holding the feed roller with its ratchet-like tooth above the cut-off blade for movement toward the same, said cut-ofl? blade normally extending in the path of movement of said tooth and arranged to be engaged by said tooth, during the rotation of the feed roller to eject a toothpick, and moved out of said path.

3. The combination with a cabinet having a toothpick compartment, of an ejector in said compartment comprising a feed roller and a co-operating cut-off blade, said roller having reduced ends, and an apron supported from the reduced ends of the feed roller and arranged to receive toothpicks therefrom.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

RUSSELL T. MANNING. 

